GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINTECH REPORT 2021 - #GIFTREPORT2021 - SALAAM GATEWAY

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GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINTECH REPORT 2021 - #GIFTREPORT2021 - SALAAM GATEWAY
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    Global Islamic
    Fintech Report
    2021

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GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINTECH REPORT 2021 - #GIFTREPORT2021 - SALAAM GATEWAY
Contents

       4       Executive Summary                                                                                             32         Industry View

       6       Report Purpose & Approach                                                                                     43         Overall Outlook & Strategic Considerations

       7       Islamic Fintech Landscape                                                                                     47         Appendices

   14          2021 GIFT Index                                                                                               55         Acknowledgements

   18          Hubs Analysis

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GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINTECH REPORT 2021 - #GIFTREPORT2021 - SALAAM GATEWAY
Introduction
GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINTECH REPORT 2021 - #GIFTREPORT2021 - SALAAM GATEWAY
Executive Summary

As digital transformations accelerate across the Islamic
                                                                                                                             Tayyab Ahmed                                    Abdul Haseeb Basit
finance ecosystems worldwide, the Global Islamic Fintech                                                                     Associate Partner,                              Co-Founder & Principal
                                                                                                                             Islamic Finance Lead                            Elipses
Report 2021 presents groundbreaking insights on the                                                                          DinarStandard
booming Islamic Fintech landscape that has identified 241
Fintechs globally.

The Report presents an estimated market                     Meanwhile, the GIFT Index of 64 countries,        Lack of Capital, Consumer Education, and        The Report has been produced jointly by
sizing of transaction volume, a country-                    ranks Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Indonesia      Finding Talent. Meanwhile, the respondents      DinarStandard, a leading Islamic economy
level benchmarking index of 64 countries,                   and UK as the top 5 strongest ecosystems.         considered Payments, Deposits & Lending         management consultancy, and Elipses, a
industry views, and an analysis of gaps and                 It is a composite index of 32 indicators          and Raising Funds as the top growth             leading ethical digital finance advisory and
opportunities across key sub-categories and                 covering 5 categories: Islamic Fintech market     segments in 2021.                               investment firm. We have joined forces to
geographies for government policy makers,                   & ecosystem, talent, regulation, infrastructure                                                   present the most comprehensive view that
Islamic Fintechs, and investors in this space.              & capital. Our opportunity analysis shows         We are also grateful to have special            we trust will contribute to Islamic Fintech’s
                                                            that besides the top 5 strongest ecosystems,      contributions by industry leaders who           role in driving Islamic financial ethos of
The Report estimates the 2020 Islamic                       Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan      represent industry, regulation, Shariah-        equitable financing world-wide.
Fintech transaction volume within OIC*                      are fast maturing ecosystems.                     compliance and investor views.
countries to be $49 billion. While this
represents 0.7% of global Fintech transaction               The Report also gathered inputs from the          One of the key area of insights for investors
volume, Islamic Fintechs are projected to                   industry in the form of a global survey of        and Fintech players are the areas of Islamic
grow to $128 billion by 2025 at 21% CAGR.                   Islamic Fintechs. From the 100 survey             Fintech categories and geographies that
This is a higher growth projection compared                 respondents 56% of Islamic Fintechs expect        are underdeveloped. Payments, Deposits &
to conventional Fintechs projected at 15%                   to raise an equity funding round in 2021          Lending, and Raising Funds categories are
CAGR for the same period.                                   with an average round size of USD 5.0M.           relatively crowded segments, but continue to
                                                            This shows the continuing confidence in           display high momentum, and represent low-
Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Malaysia and                       the growing ecosystem. The respondents            hanging fruit for investors. Regionally, Sub-
Indonesia are the largest with estimated                    also highlighted the greatest hurdles to be       Saharan Africa, MENA (ex-GCC) have gaps
transaction volume.                                                                                           across the 9 iFintech services segments.

* OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) 57 member countries

4     Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                                      Introduction
                                                                                                                                                                                                  Introduction
GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINTECH REPORT 2021 - #GIFTREPORT2021 - SALAAM GATEWAY
Summary Infographic

At $49 Bn in transaction volume (2020), Islamic Fintech in OIC countries is fast
growing, yet with many geographies and categories vastly underdeveloped
Fast Growing                                                                                    Country Index                                                        OIC Hubs Opportunities
While 0.7% of global Fintech transaction                                                        The GIFT Index of 64 key Islamic                                     While Malaysia leads the Maturity Model, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Qatar, and
volume, Islamic Fintech in OIC countries                                                        Fintech markets show OIC countries                                   Kuwait, are exciting hubs that should be on investors’ horizons
poised to grow at 21% CAGR through 2025                                                         dominating in top 10 while non-OIC
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    iFintech Hubs Maturity Matrix
                                                                                                countries dominate next 20                                                                     Emerging -                                                                                      Leaders -
                                                                 $128 Bn                                                                                                                       High Growth,                                                                                    High Growth,
                                                                                                                                                                                               Low Conduciveness                                                                               High Conduciveness
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Kuwait
                                                                                                1 Malaysia              11 Jordan                                                                                                                               UAE

                                                                                                                                                                 (Market Size CAGR, 2020-25)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Malaysia
Key:
                                           21% CAGR
                                       (vs 15% for global
                                                                                                2 Saudi Arabia          12 Singapore
                                     conventional Fintech )
                                                                                                3 U.A.E                 13 U.S.A                                                                                                Pakistan

                                                                                                                                                                       iFintech Growth
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Jordan
     Other                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Qatar
                                                                                                4 Indonesia             14 Hong Kong
     Indonesia
                               $49 Bn                                                           5 U.K                   15 Oman                                                                                                                                        Indonesia
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Saudi Arabia
     Malaysia                                                                                   6 Bahrain               16 Australia                                                                                                                            Iran
     UAE                                                                                        7 Kuwait                17 Switzerland
                                                                                                                                                                                               Dormant -                                                                  Bahrain              Maturing -
     Iran
                                                                                                8 Iran                  18 Canada                                                              Low Growth,                                                                                     Low growth,
                                                                                                9 Pakistan              19 Bangladesh                                                          Low Conduciveness                                                                               High Conduciveness
     Saudi Arabia                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Ecosystem Conduciveness (Index Score)
                                     2020                            2025                       10 Qatar                20 Luxembourg

Industry Views (100 survey respondents)                                                                  Islamic Fintech Category                                     Global Opportunities Heatmap
                                                                                                         Opportunities
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     South &                       Sub-
FUNDING
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            MENA-                           North    Central    MENA-             Saharan
                                                                                                         Total number of Islamic Fintechs                                                       Region                      SE Asia          GCC         Europe            America    Asia      Other              Africa
 56%
of Islamic Fintechs expect to raise an equity funding                                                    identified:                                                                            Alternative Finance            8                8          11                          2           1                2
round in 2021 with an average round size of USD                                                          241                                                                                    Capital Markets                1                1
5.0M.                                                                                                                                                                                           Digital Assets                 2                8          5                  3        2
    Fintechs: What are the greatest                      Fintechs: What are the greatest
                                                                                                         Raising Funds, Deposits and                                                            Payments                       9                17         2                           5           4
    hurdles to growth for your firm?                    enablers to growth for your firm?                Lending, Wealth Management,
                                                                                                                                                                                                Raising Funds                 20                4          8                  4        2           5                1
                                                                                                         Payments and Alternative Finance
              1Capital                                            1 Capital                                                                                                                     Deposits and Lending          11                12         13                          2                            2
                                                                                                         are leading categories accounting
    2 Consumer Education                                 2 Unserved Customers                                                                                                                   Wealth Management              5                6          8                  9        2           1                1
                                                                                                         for 77% of Islamic Fintech firms
            3 Finding Talent                                      3 Talent Base                                                                                                                 Insurance                      3                1                             1        1
                                                                                                         Sub-Saharan Africa, MENA (ex-GCC)                                                      Social Finance                 3                1          4                  1        1           1                1
    4 Ongoing Impact of Covid-19                              4 Geographic Expansion
                                                                                                         have gaps across the 9 iFintech
            5 Differing Regulation                         5 Increased Digitisation after                                                                                                                                     62                58         51                18        17         12                7
    Top 5 hurdles ranked by survey responses
                                                                     Covid-19                            services segments.                                            Low                                  High
                                                             Top 5 enablers ranked by survey
           from 12 options presented
                                                          responses from 12 options presented

                                                                                                                                                              Notes: OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) 57 member countries. Islamic Fintech market size estimated projected transaction volumes.
                                      Arrows = Change vs 2019                                               The GIFT Index is based on 32 indicators covering 5 categories: Islamic Fintech market & ecosystem, talent, regulation, infrastructure, & capital. (See Report methodology section for full details)

5           Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Introduction
GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINTECH REPORT 2021 - #GIFTREPORT2021 - SALAAM GATEWAY
Report Purpose &
Approach

Context                                              Objectives
Since our last Fintech Report in 2019, Islamic                                                 4. Survey Insights
                                                  1. Analytical Overview
Fintech has continued to grow apace,                 Provide an overview of the global            Provide original insights from government
with over 240 Islamic Fintechs globally              Islamic Fintech ecosystem, as well as        agencies in Islamic Fintech, Islamic Fintechs
now, covering a wide range of customers              current state evaluation and a future        on the ground, and industry experts, to help
and financial needs via several emerging             state outlook.                               provide a holistic overview of the sector.
technologies.

                                                  2. Index Rankings
In this context, it is crucial to take stock of                                                5. Industry Views
                                                     Build a forward-looking Global
the various efforts in the growing Islamic                                                        Present industry views from leading
                                                     Islamic Fintech Index (“GIFT Index”)
Fintech ecosystem in a systematic way, and                                                        ecosystem experts in the Islamic Fintech
                                                     that benchmarks countries with the
this Report provides a consolidated view.                                                         space that highlight existing challenges,
                                                     most conducive ecosystems for the
                                                                                                  opportunities and possible ways forward.
                                                     development of Islamic Fintech. The
                                                     Index will evaluate Islamic Fintech

Purpose                                              talent, regulation, infrastructure, and
                                                     market.

The purpose of this Report is to become
a key global resource in benchmarking             3. Market Sizing
and guiding innovative and socially useful           Present a market sizing of the global
applications of Islamic Fintech world-wide           Islamic Fintech market, based on
for Government financial regulators and              country-level estimates for market
agencies, Islamic Fintechs, and venture              activity in 64 key OIC and non-OIC
capital firms in this space.                         countries.

6    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                          Introduction
GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINTECH REPORT 2021 - #GIFTREPORT2021 - SALAAM GATEWAY
Landscape
GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINTECH REPORT 2021 - #GIFTREPORT2021 - SALAAM GATEWAY
Customers                                          The Islamic Fintech Framework
                                                                  4th Industrial Revolution-driven technologies exponentially
                                                         enhancing and/or disrupting 20th century Shariah-compliant financial services,
                                                                   operations, business models, and customer engagement

                                                                                         iFintech services                                           Enabling Technologies
                                          Give &
             Consumers                    Protect      SOCIAL FINANCE                              INSURANCE                                                    AI
         (e.g. HNWI, mass                              Waqf                                        InsureTech                                                    AI
       affluent, low income)                           Zakat                                       TakaTech
                                                                                                                                                          Machine Learning
                                                       Sadaqah
                                                                                                                                                          Data & Analytics
                                                                                                                                                             Big Data
                                          Save &                                                                                                                 DLT
                                          Invest       WEALTH MANAGEMENT                           DEPOSITS & LENDING
                                                       Robo-Advisory           Asset               Challenger             Mortgages                           Blockchain
                                                       PFM                     Management          Banking                Personal Finance                      Crypto
           Businesses/                                 Pensions                                    Open Banking           Student Finance                    Tokenisation
          Organizations
                                                                                                                                                             SECURITY
                                          Finance                                                                                                            Biometrics
                                                       RAISING            PAYMENTS         CAPITAL        DIGITAL           ALTERNATIVE                  Identity Verification
                                                       FUNDS                               MARKETS        ASSETS            FINANCE
                                                                           Payments                                                                         Cybersecurity
                                                       Peer 2 Peer         Remittances      Investment    Platforms &        Alternative
                                                       Crowdfunding        FX               Trading       Exchanges          Finance                            CLOUD
                                                                                            Sukuk         Wallets &          SME Finance
                                                                                                                                                                 Cloud
              Financial                                                                                   Custodians         Trade
                                                                                                          Token Issuers      Finance                             SaaS
            Institutions

                                                         BACK OFFICE               MIDDLE OFFICE                      BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

                                   iFintech               IT                         Risk                             Dashboards
                                  operations              HR                         Treasury                         Decision making tools
                                                          Compliance                 Supply Chain                     Market research
                                                          Accounting                 Customer service or onboarding
  Ecosystem
   Enablers
                                                                                                                                                   SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS
ADVISORY                                  LEGAL AND REGULATORY                   FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS               TECHNOLOGY FIRMS
                                          ENABLERS                                                                                                  Research Institutions
Lawyers                                                                          Venture Capital Firms                Incumbent “Big Tech” Large    Education & Training Institutes
Shariah Scholars                           Global: Multilateral Institutions     Islamic Banks                        Technology Firms              Fintech Associations
Consultants                                National: Financial Regulators        Sovereign Wealth Funds                                             Accelerators

   1
   8       GlobalIslamic
          Global  IslamicFintech
                          FintechReport
                                  Report2021
                                         2021                                                                                                      Islamic Fintech Landscape
                                                                                                                                                                    Landscape
GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINTECH REPORT 2021 - #GIFTREPORT2021 - SALAAM GATEWAY
The Islamic Fintech Services Landscape
                                                                         iFintech services (225)
                 Give &            SOCIAL FINANCE                                                               INSURANCE
                 Protect           (12)                                                                         (6)

                 Save &

                                                                                                                                                                                        Enabling Technologies (12)
                                   WEALTH MANAGEMENT                                       DEPOSITS & LENDING
                 Invest            (32)                                                    (40)
Customers

                 Finance           RAISING FUNDS              PAYMENTS                CAPITAL             DIGITAL           ALTERNATIVE FINANCE
                                   (44)                       (37)                    MARKETS (2)         ASSETS (20)       (32)

                                                                         iFintech operations (4)                               Note:
                                                                                                                               Note:See
                                                                                                                                     Seefull
                                                                                                                                         fullIslamic
                                                                                                                                              IslamicFintech
                                                                                                                                                     FintechDatabase
                                                                                                                                                             database in
                                                                                                                                                                       in Appendix
                                                                                                                                                                          Appendix 44

                                                                          Ecosystem Enablers
            92    Global
                   GlobalIslamic
                           IslamicFintech
                                   FintechReport
                                           Report2021
                                                  2021                                                                              Islamic Fintech Landscape
                                                                                                                                                     Landscape
GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINTECH REPORT 2021 - #GIFTREPORT2021 - SALAAM GATEWAY
The landscape is young and fragmented, several success stories are
         leading the way for Islamic Fintech’s next generation

                                                                                                                                                                                                       Industry Map

                                                                                                                                   Islamic Fintechs by Sector

                                                                                                                                        Social Finance (Zakat/
                                                                                                                                        Waqf/Sadaqah)
                                                                                                                                                                        Operations (Back/Middle Office/
                                                                                                                                                  6                     Business Intelligence)
Case Studies                                                                                                                                                        4
                                                                                                Technology Enablers
                                                                                                (DLT/Cloud/AI/SAAS)
            Wealth Management                               Digital Assets                                                                                                    Capital Markets (Investment/                                  Deposits & Lending
                                                                                                                                                                           2 Trading / Sukuk)
                                                                                                                                        11
  Company                  Headquarters         Company                  Headquarters                                                                                                                                            Company                  Headquarters
                                                                                                      Insurance
                                 USA                                         Bahrain                  (Insuretech / Takatech)      12
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Germany
                                                                                                                                                                                                   Raising Funds (P2P /
                                                     Rain
                                                                                                                                                                                           44      Crowdfunding)
  Wahed Invest                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Insha

  Success Factors                               Success Factors                                Digital Assets                                                                                                                    Success Factors
                                                Directly licensed by Bahrain’s Central Bank    (Platforms & Exchanges 20                                                                                                         Successfully identified target underserved
  First-mover in global Islamic robo-advisory
  Diversifying into banking with acquisition                                                   / Token Issuers /                                                                                                                 segment (Turkish diaspora)
  of Niyah                                      Funding Stage: VC-backed                       Wallets & Custodians)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Used banking as a service provider to
                                                                                                                                                                                                40
   Funding Stage: Series B                                                                                                                                                                                                       accelerate go-to-market and licensing
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Deposits & Lending
                                                Company                  Headquarters                                 32
                                                                                                                                                                                                          (Challenger Banking
  Company                  Headquarters                                        UK                                                                                                                         Open Banking /         Funding Stage: Corporate Venture
                                                                                                  Wealth Management                                                                                       Mortgages / Personal
                                 USA                                                              (Asset Management /                                                                                     Finance / Student
                                                  Fasset                                          PFM / Robo-Advisory /                                                                                                          Company                  Headquarters
  Zoya Financial                                                                                                                                                                                          Finance)
                                                                                                  Pensions)                                                                                                                                              United Kingdom
  Success Factors                               Success Factors
  Novel filtering system for stocks             Pioneering Islamic asset tokenisation via an
                                                exchange mechanism                                                                                                                                                                 Algbra
   Funding Stage: VC-backed                                                                               Alternative Finance           32
                                                                                                                                                                                37
                                                                                                          (Alternative Finance /                                                                                                 Success Factors
                                                Funding Stage: VC-backed                                                                                                                        Payments (Payments /
                                                                                                          SME Finance / Trade                                                                                                    Plays across the financial lifecycle of
                                                                                                                                                                                                Remittances / FX)
                                                                                                          Finance)                                                                                                               customers’ everyday financing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 needs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Funding Stage: VC-backed
                                                                                                                                                                  Historic growth sectors such as Raising Funds are
                                                                                                 Key:                                                            now maturing with other sectors such as Payments
                                                                                                         Finance 135                                             and Deposits & Lending seeing an increase of new
                                                                                                                                                                 firms
                                                                                                         Save & Invest 72
                                                                                                         Give & Protect 18
                                                                                                         Enabler 16
                                                                                                                                                                 See full Islamic Fintech Database in Appendix 4

       10        Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                                                                           Landscape
The Islamic Fintech market size in the OIC was
                                          $49 Bn in 2020, and is projected to grow at 21% CAGR to
                                          $128 Bn by 2025

                                          Current: The estimated Islamic Fintech                     Top 5 Islamic Fintech Market Sizes 2020 ($ Bn)
                                          market size for OIC countries in 2020
                                          was $49 Bn. This represents 0.72% of the
                                                                                           17.8
                                                                                            17.9
                                          current global Fintech market size, based on
                                          transaction volumes.

                                          Projected: The Islamic Fintech market size
                                          for OIC countries is projected to grow at 21%
                                          CAGR to $128 Bn by 2025. This compares                            9.2
                                          favorably to the conventional Fintech CAGR
                                          of 15%.

                                          Top 5 Markets: The top 5 OIC Fintech                                            3.7          3.0             2.9
                                          markets by transaction volume for Islamic
                                          Fintech are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Malaysia,
                                          Turkey and Kuwait, indicating a strong
                                                                                          Saudi Arabia       Iran       United Arab   Malaysia        Indonesia
                                          dominance by MENAT region countries.                                           Emirates
                                          Collectively, the Top 5 markets account for
                                          75% of the OIC Islamic Fintech market size,
                                          indicating high concentration of market
                                          activity among leading jurisdictions.

                                          Note: The metric applied was estimated and
                                          projected transaction volumes, not corporate
                                          revenues.

11   Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                          Landscape
Several types of enabling institutions exist, however the legal and
regulatory environment for Islamic Fintech is still evolving

National Level:                                                                               Supranational Level:                              Likely adoption of AAOIFI Standards:
No universally accepted regulatory body         Securities Commission (Malaysia), Financial   Nonetheless, at the supranational level,          Given that AAOIFI Standards are already
for Islamic Fintech exists globally. This is    Services Authority (Indonesia), and Central   Bahrain-based AAOIFI (the Accounting and          followed in 21 Muslim-majority countries/
unsurprising, as similar to the nature of       Bank (Saudi Arabia), as well as regulators    Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial       jurisdictions, it is likely that the Standards,
conventional financial services regulation,     in Western markets such as the Financial      Institutions) is currently drawing up voluntary   including those relating to Islamic Fintech
regulation of Islamic financial institutions,   Conduct Authority in the UK, who authorise    Shariah standards for certain segments of         segments, will continue to gain traction
including Islamic Fintech firms, is dealt       Islamic Fintechs within their conventional    Islamic Fintech activity, e.g. crowdfunding,      and national regulators will duly take them
with nationally. As such, some of the major     regulatory framework.                         cryptocurrency.                                   into consideration, given the importance of
regulators involved in the development                                                                                                          Islamic law values and ethics to developing
of regulations and the legal facilitative                                                                                                       this nascent sector.
framework for Islamic Fintech are found
where there is significant activity on the
ground. These regulators include, but are
not limited to, Bank Negara Malaysia &

12    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                       Landscape
In just the past year, several developments have occurred in the global
Islamic Fintech space, fuelling a positive sector outlook

Market developments:                                     monetisation Fintech solution, as well as                initiatives that will help facilitate the further
One of the most newsworthy stories of                    Islamic Fintech Ta3meed becoming the first               growth of their national Islamic Fintech
Islamic Fintech in 2020 was Wahed’s                      Islamic Fintech in Saudi Arabia to provide               spaces. For instance, Saudi Arabia admitted
acqusition of Niyah, since it provided clear             purchase order financing. Moreover, new                  another nine Fintechs into its regulatory
evidence that the growth of the Islamic                  geographies such as non-OIC markets like                 sandbox, a sign of the swift pace it is moving
Fintech sector has now reached a point                   Germany continue to open up to Islamic                   at to grow Saudi Islamic Fintech. Meanwhile,
where one standalone Islamic Fintech can                 Fintech: INAIA, a German homegrown Islamic               Egypt’s FRA approved a draft law regulating
acquire another. In 2020, the global Islamic             Fintech, is introducing real estate financing            Fintech in non-banking financial activities.
Fintech market also witnessed a number                   and payments solutions on its platform in                As a huge latent market for Islamic Fintech,
of innovative use cases that heralded a                  2021.                                                    this may help facilitate its growth in Egypt                               Ta3meed becomes the
                                                                                                                                                                                             first Saudi Fintech to
maturing of the market and which augur well                                                                       amid increasing Egyptian interest in Islamic                               offer Islamic purchase
for the future of the industry. These include            Regulatory developments:                                 finance.                                                                   order financing
LSE-listed Supply@ME Capital (SYME)’s plans              On the regulatory front, several key countries                                                                                      INAIA, Germany´s only
                                                                                                                                                                                             homegrown Islamic
to introduce Shariah-compliant inventory                 in Islamic Fintech introduced regulatory                                                                                            Fintech, will launch real
                                                                                                                                                                                             estate financing and digital
                                                                                                                                                                                             payments on its platform
                                                                                                                                                                                             in 2021

                                                                                                                                  CapBay forms a joint Venture with Kenanga                                 LSE- listed SYME announces
            Saudi Central Bank allows 9 more                                 Canada-based Manzil partners with KOHO               Capital Islamic to create on of the world´s                               Islamic inventory monetisation
            Fintechs into its regulatory sandbox                             to launch halal prepaid Visa cards                   first Islamic supply chain Fintechs                                       Fintech solution

              April 2020                   June                  July                  Aug                    Sept                      Nov                     Dec                  Jan 2021                       Feb

                              Indonesia´s Ammana              MFMi Group choose Mambu´s                 Riyadh-based Islamic alternative                   Central Bank of Oman
                                                              cloud-native banking platform                                                                                                                           Key:
                              Fintek Syriah & BPKH                                                      savings platform Hakbah joined                     launches Fintech regulatory
                              unveil a Hajj financial         to offer new Islamic Fintech              the Visa Fintech fast track                        sandbox                                                    Innovative use cases
                              planner and savings             products such as a digital
                                                              Shariah-compliant factoring               Ethis Group launches first                         Saudi Aramco-backed Wahed
                              deposit feature.                                                                                                                                                                        Regulatory developments
                                                                                                        full Shariah-compliant equity                      acquires Niyah, a British
                              Wahed closes a $25                                                        crowdfunding platform in                           digital banking app created for
                                                                                                                                                           Muslims                                                    Company News
                              million investment round
                                                                                                        Egypt´s FRA approves draft law
                              by Saudi Aramco’s VC
                                                                                                        regulating Fintech in non banking
                              investment arm.
                                                                                                        financial activities

13   Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                                                                 Landscape
2021 GIFT Index

                  2021 GIFT Index
The Global Islamic Fintech (GIFT) Index is the first
systematic index for global Islamic Fintech

Index Overview:                                   Methodology:
Although there are an increasing number of        The index applied a total of 32 indicators
countries which are seeing Islamic Fintech        across five different categories for each
activity, or are well-placed to facilitate such   country. These five categories are: Talent;
activity, no specific ranking exists to do        Regulation; Infrastructure; Islamic Fintech
to compare such countries in the Islamic          Market & Ecosystem; and Capital. These
Fintech space. As such, a clear need exists       categories were weighted before in order
for such an exercise, and this Report presents    to derive an overall score, with a heavier
the first Global Islamic Fintech (GIFT) Index.    weighting given to the Islamic Fintech Market
This Index represents which countries are         & Ecosystem category, since this is the
most conducive to the growth of Islamic           most indicative by far of a country’s current
Fintech Market & Ecosystem in their               conduciveness to Islamic Fintech specifically.
jurisdictions.

Inclusion Rationale:
The index comprises an overall ranking of 64 OIC and non-OIC countries. These countries were
included on the basis of their existing Islamic Fintech market activity, the presence of Islamic
finance capital (a facilitator of growth in Islamic Fintech), or due to their systemic importance
to the wider global Fintech ecosystem (e.g. China, Japan).

15   Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                             2021 GIFT Index
Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE lead the Index;
OIC countries dominate Top 10, non-OIC ecosystems are developing fast

                             Top 20 Countries by GIFT Index scores                                             Results:
                                                                                                               Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and UAE lead the
                                                                                                               Index
                 Malaysia                                                                                 87
             Saudi Arabia                                                                            76
                                                                                                               Top 10:
     United Arab Emirates                                                                       70
                                                                                                               Within the set of 64 countries, 9 out of the
                Indonesia                                                                  66
                                                                                                               Top 10 (90%) countries are OIC, Muslim-
          United Kingdom                                                              56
                                                                                                               majority countries; the exception is the
                  Bahrain                                                        54
                                                                                                               UK, which has a thriving Islamic Fintech
                    Kuwait                                                  48
                                                                                                               ecosystem due to various factors, e.g. active
                      Iran                                                 46
                                                                                                               Islamic Fintech community and presence of
                 Pakistan                                             44
                                                                                                               several Islamic Fintechs; regulatory support;
                     Qatar                                            44
                                                                                                               a thriving Fintech sector; and a ready talent
                   Jordan                                            41
                                                                                                               pool from developed Islamic finance and
                Singapore                                            41
                                                                                                               technology sectors
            United States                                        40
               Hong Kong                                        38
                                                                                                               Top 20:
                     Oman                                       38
                                                                                                               Compared to the Top 10 rankings, the Top 20
                 Australia                                 35
                                                                                                               have a significantly higher proportion of non-
              Switzerland                                  35
                                                                                                               OIC countries, indicating that they are fast
                   Canada                                  35
                                                                                                               developing ecosystems which may compete
              Bangladesh                                   35
                                                                                                               with the incumbents in years to come: 12
             Luxembourg                                    34
                                                                                                               out of the top 20 countries (60%) are OIC,
                                                                                                               Muslim-majority countries, while 8 (40%) are
                                                                                                               non-OIC countries
                             TEEL OIC countries
                                  Non-OIC countries

16     Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                               2021 GIFT Index
The heatmap overview and regional comparison suggest strong OIC region
showings, yet conducive markets also exist in non-OIC regions

       The heatmap overview suggests strong showings by regions that are                                However, regional comparison suggests several non-OIC regions are
       also strong in Islamic finance, e.g. SE Asia and the Gulf Region                                 also quite conducive to Islamic Fintech, e.g. Americas, Europe

Heatmap of GIFT Index Scores                                                                            Regional Comparison (Median Values)

                                                                                         MENA-GCC                                                                 51

                                                                                           Americas                                               35

                                                                                             SE Asia                                         32

                                                                                              Europe                                         32

                                                                                 South & Central Asia                               24

                                                                                        MENA-Other                             19

                                                                                  Sub-Saharan Africa                     14
 Low                       High
                                                                                      Global Median                                   25

Note: Median Values were used for regional comparisons to avoid skewing effect
of outliers. Global Median based on 64 countries.

17     Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                   2021 GIFT Index
Hubs Analysis

                Hubs Analysis
Hubs Intro & Methodology

A new addition to the report this year is the   The survey asked questions around the key                                         Below is a guide to the
benchmarking of Islamic Fintech hubs with       pillars of ecosystem development and this
                                                                                                                                infographic for each hub:
an index. In addition, a number of the key      section of the report summarises these for
hub that have a significant level of activity   each hub.
or show the potential for developing into                                                                                                    Hub Profile information
a major Islamic Fintech hubs have been
showcased with additional research carried
out by way of a hubs survey with the relevant
local ecosystem representatives.

       Hub self assessment of key pillars within of
       ecosystem development (score out of 5):

       5. Considerably Better than Other Hubs (USP)

       4. Somewhat Better than Other Hubs

       3. Comparable to Other Hubs

       2. Somewhat Worse than Other Hubs

       1. Considerably Worse than Other Hubs
          (recognised weak point)

                                                                                             Key verticals and companies, including trending
                                                                                             vertical, one seen as the area likely to see most
                                                                                             activity in 2021

19   Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                Hubs Analysis
Special Contribution from Strategic Partner

Building a World Class
Islamic Fintech Hub
                                                                                                                                                                                     Survey Results:
                                                                                                                                                             Result from the survey of key industry
                                                                                                                                                          participants, with additional commentary
                                                                                                                                                           is presented throughout the report. See
                    Dr. Dalal Aassouli                                                 Thaddeus Malesa
                    Assistant Professor of Islamic Finance                             Economist
                                                                                                                                                                 page 32 for more survey highlights
                    HBKU College of Islamic Studies                                    Qatar Financial Centre
                                                                                                                                                              Fintechs: What are the greatest
                                                                                                                                                              hurdles to growth for your firm?

In Qatar we are working toward putting into        little was destined to the MENA region or           Hub (QFTH) is well positioned to support the
place an accommodative and supporting              Islamic Fintech. The conducive environment          local positioning and expansion of local and
ecosystem for Islamic Fintechs to succeed          we are constructing allows Islamic Fintechs         international Fintechs. QFTH’s first cohort
                                                                                                                                                                         1 Capital
within and beyond our borders. This                to access funding and benefit from a variety        welcomed 24 Fintechs – 11 in its incubator                2 Consumer Education
ecosystem is dependent on four critical            of mentorship avenues to safeguard their            and 13 for its accelerator. Beyond that,
success factors: a conducive environment           commercial viability. Without these in place,       efforts are underway to develop a vibrant                       3 Finding Talent
with ample funding sources coupled with            few players would come to market and even           angel investor community in Qatar and
                                                                                                                                                                 4 Ongoing Impact of Covid-19
a variety of support mechanisms, access            fewer would last. This is facilitated, in the       attractive incentive packages to lure leading
to talent to promote innovation, engaged           case of Qatar, by a strong set of domestic          Fintechs. For example, qualified Fintechs                       5 Differing Regulation
customers to ensure the sustainability of          Islamic financial institutions with increasing      applying for a Qatar Financial Centre (QFC)
businesses and partnerships to enable the          global links. The country is one of the leading     business license are eligible for waiving of
                                                                                                                                                                       Arrows = Change vs 2019
scalability of Islamic Fintech solutions.          systemically-important Islamic banking              both its application fee and 1st year renewal             Top 5 hurdles ranked by survey responses
Together, these four pillars provide the solid     jurisdictions in the world – with Islamic           fee as well as complimentary access to its                       from 12 options presented
foundation on which Islamic Fintechs can           banking assets representing more than 20%           Fintech Circle floor for the first 12 months
flourish. We welcome partners to join as           of the total local Islamic banking assets and       on its platform. Critically, Islamic Fintechs
we progress to realizing our aspirations in        about 6% of the global Islamic banking assets       operating out of QFC will have a dedicated
                                                                                                                                                        Scarcity of Capital remains the biggest hurdle to
this strategic area for us and the worldwide       in 2019. In addition, the recent consolidation      internal team and the QFTH to assist with
                                                                                                                                                        growth for Islamic Fintechs. Since 2019, finding
Islamic Finance industry.                          initiative of Islamic banks is likely to increase   market and investor access. On the regulatory    top talent and the complexity of the regulatory
                                                   their overall capitalization and funding            side, Qatar Central Bank (QCB) announced         landscape have become a somewhat less
Qatar is striving hard to build a vibrant          capacity, thus providing more avenues               its ambition to establish a central Shariah      challenging, with Consumer Education becoming
                                                                                                                                                        a greater challenge and the Ongoing Impact of
environment and multiple financing channels        for innovation and for supporting Islamic           supervisory Board in its Second Strategic Plan   Covid-19 entering the top five as a new challenge
for Islamic Fintechs to succeed. Globally          Fintechs. On the other hand, the rise of global     for Financial Sector Regulation as well as its   to growth.
investors poured $30.4 billion into Fintech        Fintech hubs has brought accelerators and           2019-dated 10th Financial Stability Review.                                           Survey Results
during the first nine months of 2020, however      incubators to the fore, and Qatar Fintech           The permanence of Qatar’s Shariah Board

20    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                           Hubs Analysis
Survey Results                 Special Contribution from Strategic Partner

Fintechs: Which factors determined the choice of your firm´s HQ?
                                                                                                   Several factors affect the choice of HQ location by
        Founder(s) Local Knowledge/Experience                                          4.2         Islamic Fintechs. Many of these can be positively
                                                                                                   impacted by progressive policy decisions and enabling
                                                                                 4.0

                                                                                                                                                                 “Qatar is striving to build
                         Regulatory Enviroment
                                                                                                   regulatory initiatives, a trend seen in many ecosystem
                                                                                                   hubs over the last twelve months, paving the way fot
                 Proximity to Target Customers                                   4.0               further growth in the Islamic Fintech sector.

              Strength of Local Fintech Industry                         3.9                                                                                           a vibrant environment
                           Availability of Talent                       3.8                                                                                            and multiple financing
                              Access to Capital                         3.8
                                                                                                                                                                         channels for Islamic
                                                                                                                                       5 - Very Important
                                                                                                                                                                          Fintechs to suceed.
             Strength of Supporting Ecosystem                   3.6
                                                                                                                                4 - Somewhat Important
Strength of Local Conventional Finance Industry       3.4                                                            3 - Neither Unimportant/Important
                                                                                                                              2 - Somwhat Unimportant
                                                      3.4                                                                           1 - Very Unimportant
      Strength of Local Islamic Finance Industry

 will provide a consistent standard-bearer in       (QNRF). The recent COVID-19 pandemic           successful introduction of novel customer-               include Fintech lab centers, hub networks,
 Islamic Finance offering sector participants,      demonstrated how the country prioritises       centric products and services, including                 venture capitalists, and other influential
 including Islamic Fintechs and customers           learning and quality education amid the        digital on-boarding, by established Islamic              parties. Together these factors will enable the
 alike, confidence in the industry while            pandemic thanks to its sophisticated           banks has broadened their appeal while also              scalability of Islamic Fintech solutions out of
 simultaneously promoting consistency.              learning infrastructure and leading academic   pointing to significant commercial promise               Qatar.
                                                    institutions.                                  for Islamic Fintechs.
 Access to talent is another kernel for                                                                                                                     Collective efforts to boost the four supporting
 Fintechs’ success. As Fintech is shaping the       Acceptance of Islamic Fintech also depends     Islamic Fintechs can also develop their                  pillars for Islamic Fintech´s ecosystem in
 future of many global jobs in the financial        on an engaged customer base, with security,    commercial activities through collaborations             Qatar are underway. We see great promise for
 industry, there has been a need to develop         user convenience and customer-centric          with local and international stakeholders. The           this sub-sector, especially with our existing
 dedicated programmes and capacity building         innovations being key catalysts. Qatar as a    pre-existing relationships between Qatari and            competitive advantages in the Islamic
 initiatives globally to address this skills gap.   market is already prone to wide adoption of    Islamic financial institutions abroad, as well           banking space. Building a supportive and
 Qatar’s commitment to shifting towards a           new technologies, with an overwhelmingly       as the branch networks Qatari banks have                 sustainable Islamic Fintech ecosystem is
 knowledge-based economy in line with its           young population that has easy access          invested in overseas, may further facilitate             destined to widen commercial opportunities,
 National Vision 2030 has contributed to            to speedy internet, in a country that is       the global distribution of Islamic Fintech by            spark international connections, and deepen
 developing dedicated research, educational         dominantly of Islamic persuasion. The QFC      leveraging on their large customer networks.             technical expertise that will drive the sector
 and capacity building programmes in                has recently launched the ‘QFC Tech Talk       Further, local and global partnerships can               forward and position Qatar as a leading
 partnership with local academic institutions       Series’ where participants are introduced      facilitate the sharing of best practices                 Islamic Fintech hub. We look forward to
 as well as the Qatar National Research Fund        to such critical aspects. In addition, the     through broader stakeholder engagement to                having you join us on this journey!

 21       Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                            Hubs Analysis
Special Contribution from Strategic Partner

Malaysia Leads Global Islamic Economy Indicator for Eighth Consecutive
Years – Driven by Strong Islamic Finance Initiatives and Ecosystem

                Surina Shukri
                CEO

                                                                                                                       “Malaysia offers the perfect platform for
                Malaysia Digital Economy
                Corporation (MDEC)

                                                                                                                      Islamic Fintech companies to roll out their
                                                                                                                     product offerings before tapping into other
Malaysia continues to forge the way ahead         Malaysia to continue to lead as the global
in Islamic economy and finance, leading           Islamic Fintech hub and towards becoming
                                                                                                                                     Muslim-majority countries.
the way for the eighth consecutive year           the Heart of Digital ASEAN. With our strong
based on the ranking by the Global Islamic        digital economy ecosystem within the
Economy Indicator (GIEI). Its burgeoning          Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
Islamic Fintech and economy sectors               member nations, we have comparative
continue to flourish aided by governmental        advantage over others in providing Shariah-
support and Malaysia Digital Economy              compliant Islamic finance and Fintech               a report from Thomson Reuters projected           and challenges. Effective collaboration
Corporation’s (MDEC) continuous push to           services globally.                                  Shariah-compliant assets worldwide will           will improve innovation. The key towards
expand the digitalisation of the economy                                                              reach US$3.8 trillion by 2022. On top of the      achieving inclusive financial growth is
and an aggressive creation of a conducive         We are extremely proud of our leadership            recently-signed Regional Comprehensive            to have a strong effort to embed Fourth
ecosystem for which it can thrive on.             position and MDEC will continue to work with        Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement             Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies like
                                                  financial regulators and industry partners          which created the world’s largest trading bloc,   Islamic Fintech to ensure fair and equitable
For years, the government of Malaysia has         from all relevant areas to further enhance our      Malaysia stand to capture 30 per cent of the      distribution across income groups and a
identified Islamic finance and Islamic digital    capabilities, facilities and capacities to ensure   world population.                                 shared prosperity for all in line with the
economy as Key Economic Growth Activities         we maintain our global leadership position.                                                           recently-announced Malaysia Digital Economy
(KEGA) towards achieving and maintaining                                                              A new economic frontier has opened up for         Blueprint (MyDIGITAL) and Malaysia 5.0.
its position as the global Islamic Fintech hub.   According to the State of the Global Islamic        Malaysia.                                          Malaysia’s excellent track record in
Malaysia is the largest Sukuk issuer in the       Economy Report (GIER) 2020/21, Muslims                                                                fundraising augurs well overall, with the
world as well as having one of the best Halal     are expected to spend US$2.4 trillion by            “To continue stimulating growth in the            Securities Commission reporting a 130
standards globally.                               2024, up from US$2.2 trillion in 2018. GIEI         Islamic digital economy, a collective effort      percent increase on 2018 involving 1,449
                                                  also revealed that 66% of consumers are             and commitment from various parties will          SMEs, 18,700 investors (91 percent increase)
“These global recognitions pave the way for       willing to pay more for ethical products while      be crucial to identify opportunities, issues      and 5,612 campaigns (131 percent increase)

22    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                            Hubs Analysis
Special Contribution from Strategic Partner

launched. Islamic capital market grew by          While FinTech Booster, in collaboration with
eight percent, to RM2 trillion, outpacing         BNM, is a capacity-boosting programme by
overall capital market growth of three percent.   MDEC to assist Fintech companies, both local
                                                  and international, to develop their products                      All participants: Which jurisdiction do you expect
Malaysia offers the perfect platform for          and services via three strategic modules;                         to see most Islamic Fintech growth in the next
Islamic Fintech companies to roll out their       Legal and Compliance, Business Model and                          12 months?
product offerings before tapping into other       Technology. Since its launch, there have
Muslim-majority countries. Bank Negara            been six public workshops and nineteen
                                                                                                         ASEAN                                                                36%
Malaysia, BNM (Malaysia Central Bank) and         private workshops conducted with over
the Securities Commission have allowed            400 registrations as of March 2021 on the               MENA                                                          34%
for innovation in FinTech to proliferate such     website, ranging from both local and foreign
expansion.                                        companies.                                                  UK                             18%

                                                                                                      Other Asia                8%
The Malaysia government, through MDEC,            The second pillar, to be launched this year,
have implemented various measures and             will be on market access and business            North America           3%
initiatives. In partnership with regulators,      opportunities for Fintech, and the third,
agencies, corporations, financial institutions,   technological integration.
                                                                                                    Other Europe        2%

accelerators and other relevant bodies, MDEC
                                                                                                     Other Africa     1%
continues to roll out and introduce plans and     Malaysia have all the right makings and
programmes to conquer this new economic           ecosystem to make it the global Islamic
opportunity.                                      Fintech hub which includes having a                                                                             Survey Results
                                                  matured Islamic finance environment and
One such initiative is the Digital Financial      has a conducive and cost-effective business
Inclusion which is aimed at improving the         setting. It is also blessed with talents, from
knowledge of the B40 (bottom 40 percent           having world-renowned academics, Shariah
earners) and micro SMEs on financial              scholars to Islamic finance experts as well
services. The collaborative programme, in         as a steady stream of local and international
partnership with 11 Fintech companies have        talent pool in Fintech and Islamic finance.
onboarded 2,300 users from the three main         All these factors bode well in maintaining
product offerings mainly the micro financing,     its driving seat in the Wave 2.0 of Islamic
micro investment and micro insurance.             finance. Malaysia is ready and waiting.

23    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                  Hubs Analysis
INDONESIA                                                                                               Index Score                   66
                                                                                                                             Country Rank vs
Home to the world’s largest Muslim population and innovative Islamic                                                         Peers
Fintechs, with significant headroom for growth                                                                               3 UAE
                                                                                                                             4 Indonesia
                                                                                                                             5 UK

                                                                                                                             Ecosystem Representatives
                                                                            KEY SECTORS AND COMPANIES

                                Hub Self Assessment                                   Alternative Finance                     Fintech Syrariah Indonesia    Fintech Indonesia

                                         Regulation                                                   Deposits & Lending

        Islamic Finance                                        Shariah                                                       Market Size
           Market Share                                        Compliance                         Digital Assets
                                             3            4
                                     3                                                                           Insurance   2020                                  2025
                                                                                                                             $ 2.9 Bn                             $ 8.3 Bn
                                                                     Access for
5          Banks’
                                33                        33         International
                                                                                                            Crowdfunding
     Participation                                                                                          Trending Area                     CAGR 23%
                                                                     Fintechs

                                                      3
                                                                                                                             Regulatory Bodies
                           55
                 Capital                                       Proximity                                 Payments
                                             4
                                             4
                                                               to Customers

                                           Talent                                        Raising Funds                               Bank Indonesia          Otoritas Jasa Keuangan

                                                                                                 Social Finance                         Sandbox                      Sandbox

                                                                                     Wealth Management                       Regulatory Initiatives

                                                                                                                                        Lending

                                                                                                                                        Crowdfunding

                                                                                                                                        Payments

                                                                                                                                        E-Money
24    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                     Hubs Analysis
MALAYSIA                                                                                                              Index Score                  87
                                                                                                                                           Country Rank vs
         Rated number one growth jurisdiction for Islamic Fintech in 2021 by                                                               Peers
         Industry survey participants                                                                                                      1 Malaysia
                                                                                                                                           2 Saudi Arabia
Leading jurisdiction for Islamic Fintechs, which are attracted to a supportive legal and
                                                                                                                                           3 UAE
regulatory environment, strong market for Islamic financial services & abundant talent

                                                                         KEY SECTORS AND COMPANIES                                         Ecosystem
                                                                                                                                           Representative
                               Hub Self Assessment                                Alternative Finance
                                                                                                                                                                       FIntech Association of Malaysia

                                     Regulation                                               Capital Markets
                                        55                                                                                                 Market Size
        Islamic Finance                                     Shariah                                         Enabling Technologies
           Market Share    5                                Compliance
                           5
                                                  44                                                                                       2020                                     2025
                                                                                                   Insurance
                                                                                                                                           $ 3.0 Bn                                $ 8.5 Bn

                                                                  Access for
5          Banks’
                      44                                    4
                                                            4     International
                                                                                                                      Challenger Banking                     CAGR 23%
     Participation                                                                                                    Trending Area
                                                                  Fintechs

                                                                                                                                           Regulatory
                               4
                               4                                                                  Payments                                 Bodies
                                                       55                                                                                                                  Bank Negara Malaysia
                 Capital                                    Proximity
                                                            to Customers                                                                                                        Sandbox
                                         55                                                                 Raising Funds
                                       Talent

                                                                                           Social Finance
                                                                                                                                           Regulatory Initiatives
                                                                              Wealth Management
                                                                                                                                                      Digital Currency & Tokens

                                                                                                                                                      EMoney

                                                                                                                                                      EKYC

                                                                                                                                                      Digital Banking

                                                                                                                                                      Digital Assets
25    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                      Hubs Analysis
26   Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021   Hubs Analysis
SAUDI ARABIA                                                                                      Index Score                76
                                                                                                                       Country Rank vs
                                                                                                                       Peers
Largest regional financial services and Islamic Finance market, strong government                                      1 Malaysia
and regulatory support for entrepreneurs and the second largest outward remittance                                     2 Saudi Arabia
market in the world                                                                                                    3 UAE

                                                                                                                       Ecosystem
                                                                                                                       Representative
                                                                         KEY SECTORS AND COMPANIES
                                                                                                                                                     Fintech Saudi
                           Hub Self Assessment                                    Accounting

                                     Regulation                                                                        Market Size
                                                                                                 Deposits & Lending
        Islamic Finance                                     Shariah
           Market Share                                     Compliance                                                  2020                                2025
                           44            33                                                    Enabling Technologies   $ 17.9 Bn                          $ 47.5 Bn
                                                  33

                                                                                                                                        CAGR 22%
                                                                  Access for
5          Banks’          33                          33         International
                                                                                                   SME Finance
     Participation                                                                                 Trending Area
                                                                  Fintechs
                                                                                                                       Regulatory
                                33                33                                                                   Bodies
                                         33
                                                                                                                                                     Saudi Arabian
                 Capital                                    Proximity                                                                              Monetary Authority
                                                            to Customers                         Payments
                                                                                                                                                        Sandbox
                                       Talent

                                                                                   Wealth Management
                                                                                                                       Regulatory Initiatives

                                                                                                                                   Payments

                                                                                                                                   Open Banking

27     Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                              Hubs Analysis
United Arab Emirates                                                                                               Index Score                 70
                                                                                                                                    Country Rank vs
A progressive regulatory environment with access to capital                                                                         Peers
in two industry leading ecosystems
                                                                                                                                    2 Saudi Arabia
                                                                                                                                    3 United Arab Emirates
                                                                                                                                    4 Indonesia

                                                                                                                                    Ecosystem
                                                                                                                                    Representatives
                                                                        KEY SECTORS AND COMPANIES
                                                                                                                                                                        Hub71

                           Hub Self Assessment                                    Deposits & Lending

                                                                                             Capital Markets                                                DIFC Fintech Hive
                                     Regulation

        Islamic Finance                                    Shariah                                                 Digital Assets   Market Size
                                         44
           Market Share                                    Compliance
                                                      44
                                33                                                              Enabling Technologies               2020                                        2025
                                                                                                                                    $ 3.7 Bn                               $ 11.0 Bn
                                                                 Access for
 5         Banks’     44                                   4
                                                           4     International
                                                                                                         Payments
     Participation                                                                                       Trending Area                               CAGR 24%
                                                                 Fintechs

                                                  3                                                                                 Regulatory
                           44            3
                                         3                                                       Insurance                          Bodies                                 FRSA
                 Capital                                   Proximity
                                                           to Customers
                                                                                                           Raising Funds
                                       Talent                                                                                                     DFSA                     ADGM
                                                                                        Social Finance                                            Sandbox                  Sandbox

                                                                                                                                    Regulatory Initiatives
                                                                                 Wealth Management

                                                                                                                                          Payments                     Digital Banking

                                                                                                                                          RegLab                       Third Party
                                                                                                                                                                       Providers
                                                                                                                                          Virtual Assests
                                                                                                                                                                       Digital Lab
                                                                                                                                          Robo-Advisory

28    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021
United Kingdom                                                                                                      Index Score                  56
                                                                                                                                         Country Rank vs
                                                                                                                                         Peers
One of the leading global Fintech hubs with a pioneering regulatory environment,                                                         4 Indonesia
booming technology sector, large talent base and support infrastructure that allows                                                      5 United Kingdom
the UK to punch above its weight in the development of Islamic Fintechs
                                                                                                                                         6 Bahrain

                                                                                                                                         Ecosystem Representative

                                                                             KEY SECTORS AND COMPANIES
                                                                                                                                         UK Islamic Fintech Panel
                           Hub Self Assessment                                      Alternative Finance                                        UK Islamic Fintech Panel

                                      Regulation
                                                                                                     Deposits & Lending                  Regulatory Bodies
        Islamic Finance                                       Shariah
                                          44
           Market Share                                       Compliance
                                                                                                                        Digital Assets

                                                   33
                                                                                                Enabling Technologies
                                  2
                                  2                                                                                                        Bank of England        The Financial Conduct Authority
                                                                    Access for                                                                                               Sandbox
 5         Banks’
                      44                                 33         International
                                                                                                            Challenger Banking
     Participation                                                                                          Trending Area
                                                                    Fintechs

                             33
                                                                                                Payments                                 Regulatory Initiatives
                                                        44
                 Capital                                      Proximity
                                                              to Customers                                              Raising Funds             Payments
                                          55
                                        Talent                                                                                                    Crowdfunding
                                                                                         Social Finance

                                                                                                                                                  Challenger Banking
                                                                                     Wealth Management
                                                                                                                                                  Open Banking

                                                                                                                                                  Digital Assets

29    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                    Hubs Analysis
Prominent OIC Hubs

          BAHRAIN                Index Score           54          PAKISTAN                         Index Score         44           QATAR                     Index Score            44

     Country Rank vs Peers                                  Country Rank vs Peers                                             Country Rank vs Peers
      5 UK                                                  8 Iran                                                             9 Pakistan
      6 Bahrain                                             9 Pakistan                                                         10 Qatar
      7 Kuwait                                              10 Qatar                                                           11 Jordan

                             5

                                                                                           3                                                      4
                                                                               3                                                                           2         3
                       3          3

                                                                                                1
                                                                                   1                    2                                        3                   2
                  5                          5
                                                                                       1
                                                                                                    2
                       3                                                                                                                                   2         3
                                      4                                                    3                                                      4

                             5

     Ecosystem                                              Ecosystem                                                         Ecosystem
     Representative                                         Representative                                                    Representative

                                 Bahrain Fintech Bay                                           Pakistan Fintech Association                                         Qatar Fintech Hub

     Market Size                                            Market Size                                                       Market Size
      2020                                2025              2020                                            2025              2020                                       2025
     $ 133 M                              $ 360 M           $ 1.1 Bn                                        $ 2.8 Bn          $ 849 M                                    $ 2.1 Bn
                      CAGR 22%                                               CAGR 21%                                                           CAGR 20%

     Regulatory                                             Regulatory                                                        Regulatory
     Bodies                                                 Bodies                                                            Bodies
                                  Central Bank of Bahrain
                                                                                                                                               Qatar Central Bank         Qatar Financial Centre
                                          Sandbox                                                   State Bank of Pakistan                                                 Regulatory Authority

     Trending Area                        Digital Assets    Trending Area                                    Payments         Trending Area                                Payments

30   Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                      Hubs Analysis
31   Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021   Hubs Analysis
Industry View

                Industry View
Industry View                                                                                                                                    Sector Maturity
(Survey based):                                                                                                    Fintechs: What is your Company´s current stage?

                                                                                                                                                          2020
                                                                                                                            Established                                      Acquired
                                                                                                                                                                3%
                                                                                                                            (Profitable)           5%

  To gather the views of the industry a             Participants were asked a range of questions
                                                                                                                In technical
  survey was conducted with 330 industry            which covered:                                                                   18%
                                                                                                                development
  participants with 100 respondents (a 30%                                                                                                              36%

  response with 8% margin of error at 95%           For Fintechs:                                                                                                      44%                    Growth / Scaling

                                                    Demographic information, funding stage,                                                               2019                          52%   (Post-Revenue)
  confidence level). The participants fell into
  one of six categories:                            future funding needs, regulatory status,
                                                                                                                                                          20%
                                                    Shariah compliance status, key aspects
                                                    of jurisdiction/market choices, current                          Launched
  Fintechs                                          partnerships and aspirations, enablers and                       (Pre-Revenue)         22%

  Financial Institutions                            challenges to growth

  Technology Providers                              For Other Categories:
  Ecosystem Stakeholders (e.g. Regulators,          Modes of engagement with Fintechs
  Financial Centres, Industry Associations,                                                                                                        Regulation
                                                    All participants:
  Accelerators)                                                                                                Fintechs: What is your Company´s regulatory status?
                                                    Views on growth verticals and jurisdictions
  Service Providers (e.g. Law firms,
  Consultancies, Shariah Advisors)                                                                                      In the process of
                                                                                                                        applying for a
                                                                                                                                                              2020
  Investors                                                                                                             regulatory license
                                                                                                                                                  11%

                                                                                                           Unregulated (will                                                                   Directly regulated
                                                                                                           seek regulated          13%                               21%                36%
                                                                                                                                                        21%
                                                                                                           status in future)

Islamic Fintech remains a maturing sector, evidenced by a higher proportion of Islamic                                                                        2019         15%

Fintechs at more advanced stages of development and regulatory authorisation than in 2019.                                                          24%

                                                                                                                                                                 21%
                                                                                                            Indirectly regulated
                                                                                                            (via an appointed          18%
                                                                     This section highlights the results    representative)
                                                                     of the survey with commentary
                                                                                                                                                                                        Unregulated (expect to
                                                                     from key industry participants                                                                          22%        remain unregulated)

33    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                                         Industry View
Special Contribution from Strategic Partner

                                                                                                                                                                                            Survey Results

The Need for new                                                                                            Fintechs: What are the greatest
                                                                                                           enablers to growth for your firm?

Technology First Players                                                                                           1 Capital
                                                                                                                                                        Greater availability of Capital
                                                                                                                                                        remains the biggest enabler to
                                                                                                                                                        growth for Islamic Fintechs.

in Islamic Finance                                                                                       2 Unserved Customers                           Increased impetus towards
                                                                                                                                                        digitisation entered the top five
                                                                                                                   3 Talent Base                        drivers of opportunity compared
                                                                                                                                                        to 2019
                                                                                                              4 Geographic Expansion

                                                                                                           5 Increased Digitisation after Covid-19

                                                                                                                 Arrows = Change vs 2019
                                                                                                               Top 5 enablers ranked by survey
                   Stella Cox CBE                                                                           responses from 12 options presented
                   Managing Director
                   DDCAP Group™

As a consequence of the Covid-19 global         and post trade services platform has been      boundaries with its offering. By example we           but whose ambition, direction and product
pandemic Islamic financial markets              widely available to the marketplace for over   were first to move beyond embedding Shariah           is very complementary to DDCAP’s. We
participants, like their global counterparts,   a decade and was a pathfinder in delivering    based contractual and screening tools                 look forward, in our capacity of service
have rapidly elevated their awareness of the    automated services, with various straight-     within our platform to include governance             and technology provider to a specialised
advantages of existing and evolving financial   through processing capabilities, to Islamic    considerations ranging from regular                   and expanding market, to announcing
technology. Phase one of the pandemic, not      market participants. Any lingering reticence   compliance protocols to sustainable and               further joint value propositions that
surprisingly, brought an immediate focus to     on the part of institutions in adopting full   responsible asset preferences in inventory            will continue to bring to our clients the
ensuring access to technology that brought      automation has seemingly been swiftly          allocation. However, partnership and co-              efficiencies that they seek.
significant efficiencies to daily operating     addressed and resolved during the past 12      operation has always been a cornerstone of
procedures. As market participants grappled     months.                                        DDCAP’s technology development strategy, as           Having enjoyed such a constant presence
with the sudden imposition of remote                                                           previously illustrated by our ground breaking         within this industry for more than 20
working practices, and the unwelcome            We are very pleased to have been positioned    collaboration with Refinitiv to provide a fully       years has ensured our connection to
necessity of rotating employees between         to play our part in delivering dependable,     integrated treasury trading workflow for              the developing requirements of the
remote and physical offices, being able to      technology-based efficiencies that have        Shariah compliant transactions. Co-operation          market and its participants, but our
place full reliance on sustained, automated     eased some of our clients’ burden during       between leading brands is compelling, but we          relationships with the newer technology
processes that assured business continuity      an extremely challenging time for all of       have come to recognise the impetus that is            enabled companies has resulted in an
was of paramount importance. DDCAP              us, irrespective of size or scale. DDCAP       being created across our core markets by new          expansion of DDCAP’s own business
Group’s own ETHOS AFP™ automated trading        has always moved to innovate and push          businesses creating technologies of their own         interests. DDCAP’s majority shareholder,

34    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                              Industry View
Special Contribution from Strategic Partner

                                                                         “
IPGL, has identified with technology focused,
global financial services for more than four
decades, having built and divested of major
                                                                            Access to capital will continue to be a challenge for the
financial sector businesses that include                                  foreseeable future, but interesting to observe the gradual
ICAP plc and NEX Group plc. IPGL’s own                                       emergence of Angels and VCs with Shariah compliant
investment strategy is now wholly focused                                                                              sector focus.
on new technologies. With our shareholder’s
proactive support, DDCAP has recently
started to invest in early stage companies
with exceptional Fintech strategies, whose
alignment to Shariah compliant, sustainable
and responsible business principles is equally   failure is the cost and distraction of ensuring   is creating significant opportunities for new     by the aftershock of the global pandemic
important to us. The first of our strategic      appropriate business and operational              technology first players and there are exciting   but emerging, new players with first mover
investments was with IslamicMarkets.com,         support. There are additional aspects of          UK Islamic start-ups proactively competing.       advantage present enormous potential.
a leading financial intelligence and learning    strategic guidance that we bring to our           Peer- to-peer and Crowdfunding platforms          That potential is not only attractive to
platform for the global Islamic economy. We      investees. As a business that was initially       for SME requirement and smaller ticket            investors but to market participants seeking
increased that investment last summer and        funded and incubated by an early stage            investment in property and infrastructure         to adjust fully to an operating environment
we are currently considering a number of         VC, we offer our entrepreneurial CEOs the         related projects are also at the forefront.       that could be the beginning of ‘new normal’,
others.                                          benefit of shared experience, the resources       In terms of first mover developments, last        whilst evolving business development
                                                 and skillsets of our shareholders and senior      year we also saw the world’s first primary        strategies that will take advantage of the vast
Early stage investment is of particular          executive and, essentially, the wisdom of our     sukuk delivered on blockchain and there is        opportunities ahead.
interest to us as we are patient investors       internationally diverse Shariah Supervisory       keen competition to develop the first fully
with an established operating infrastructure     Board.                                            functioning Islamic crypto exchange.
conducive to early stage business
requirement. Our founder partners are            We are excited by the Islamic Fintech             Access to capital will continue to be a
better able to focus on growth when other        ecosystem we see developing in the UK and         challenge for the foreseeable future, but
potentially time consuming matters are           overseas. Early technology developments           interesting to observe the gradual emergence
addressed. In our experience, aside from a       for Islamic financial purpose have prioritised    of Angels and VCs with Shariah compliant
lack of early stage capital, perhaps the most    enablement, but now a full range of disruptors    sector focus. Current, difficult economic
significant contributor to start-up companies’   are emerging. The advent of Open Banking          conditions prevail and are compounded

35    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                            Industry View
Special Contribution from Strategic Partner

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Survey Results

    Building the Tencent of the                                                                                                                  Fintechs: How much funding do you expect to raise in 2021
                                                                                                                                                         and what type od capital are you seeking?

    Muslim World
                                                                                                                                       7

                                                                                                                                       6

                                                                                                         Comapny Age (Average Years)
                                                                                                                                                        $3.5M

                                                                                                                                       5                                                                                                                Key:
                                                                                                                                                                          $4.5M                                                                Equity Capital
                                                                                                                                       4           $3.6M
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            $5M
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Revenue / Profit Share
                        Adam Sadiq                                                                                                     3                                                                                                    Based Financing
                        CEO                                                                                                                                                                                                                 SAFE Agreement
                        New World Group                                                                                                2
                                                                                                                                                                $5.4M                                                                 Working Capital Facility

                                                                                                                                       1        $3.5M                                                                                            Debt Capital
                                                                                                                                                                                                    Bubble: Average Round Size

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Bridge / Mezzanine
                                                                                                                                       0                                                                                                             Finance
                                                                                                                                           0%            10%             20%       30%       40%        50%           60%

“
The leaders of the Islamic financial services
                                                                                                                                                                        Percentage of Surveyed Companies

industry must do more to nurture the innovators
                                                                                                                                       56% of Islamic Fintechs expect to raise an equity
and disruptors of tomorrow as has been done                                                                                            funding round in 2021 with an average round size

with their conventional counterparts                                                                                                   of USD 5.0M. Others expect to pursue alternative
                                                                                                                                       forms of funding with average round sizes varying
                                                                                                                                       from USD 3.5M - USD 5.4M

    The Islamic Finance ecosystem needs to           home to 1bn of the world’s 1.8bn Muslims.         The industry should place emphasis on                                                 done with their conventional counterparts.
    undergo its own disruption for it to truly       Within these economies, we currently see a        businesses operating with a profit and growth                                         We must back the changemakers of our
    compete with the conventional markets.           dislocation between conventional markets          mindset – where operational flexibility is                                            generation, fueled by passion and purpose to
                                                     and the broader Islamic ecosphere at large.       underpinned by experienced, capable and                                               build Islamic Fintechs for the entirety of the
    This means that Islamic Finance must strive      This presents tremendous uplift opportunity       aligned management teams that capitalise on                                           world’s unbanked, uninvested and uninsured,
    to become an outward looking industry - with     for proven industry-wide model ecosystems         the growth supply chain; from origination to                                          and benefitting traditional Islamic Finance
    a global appeal transcending borders - that      – like we have seen with Tencent – to             execution to value realisation.                                                       consumers in the process.
    presents unique solutions for real world         be developed for the Islamic ecosphere,
    problems. The potential for Islamic Fintech is   incorporating finance, education and              To date, a lack of access to capital, a                                               It is only with an inclusive and well-rounded
    immense as the world’s next great success        healthcare among others.                          wider spread between the rich and poor,                                               approach will we be able to tap the
    story; it is a young industry with huge,                                                           disconnected markets and the over-servicing                                           opportunities present across diverse industry
    profitable opportunities within untapped         In this age of disruption and digitisation, the   of high net worth individuals versus the larger                                       sectors where Islamic Finance and Islamic
    emerging and frontier markets.                   Islamic Finance industry must close this gap      customer base has rendered Islamic Finance                                            Fintechs can play a role in bettering the lives
                                                     with the conventional markets by deploying        as an insular and limited industry. The leaders                                       of millions around the world.
    Islamic Fintech can act as an enabler to         widely smart, efficient and strategic capital     of the Islamic financial services industry
    growth and development, where the fastest        towards robust and scalable businesses,           must do more to nurture the innovators
    growing major economies in the world are         led by driven and able entrepreneurs.             and disruptors of tomorrow as has been

    36    Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021                                                                                                                                                                                      Industry View
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